Exercise Cockney Maple Leaf 2004

Exercise Cockney Maple Leaf was an expedition which took place between 1st and 17th September 2004. 22 officer cadets were given the opportunity to travel to Alberta, Canada and experience nearly two weeks of exhilarating adventure training.

The trip began with a couple of days in Calgary, a quaint little city, home to the Calgary Tower, Winter Olympic Park and numerous Western shops. In fact, we had been in the city less than two hours and already ULOTC had begun the transformation from jetlagged Brits to local cowboys, with the purchase of several cowboy hats and pairs of boots!

From there we travelled to Trails End Camp, near the smaller town of Cochrane. We settled into our accommodation and were introduced to the staff and activities available. The packages we were involved in were Horse Packing (Exercise Rough Ride), Multi Activity (Exercise Bear Dawn) and Parachuting (Exercise Fast Air). The first group to start were the parachutists so they left on Sunday morning. For everyone else, there was the chance to drive to the local Rodeo in Cochrane, the perfect excuse to don our new cowboy attire!

Over the next 5 days, each group participated in a variety of activities.

The Rough Riders learnt how to care for and control their horses and rode out from their camp each day over some testing terrain. At Bear Dawn, there was kayaking, mountain biking, climbing and white water rafting right in the heart of the Rocky Mountains. Some of the guys caught a glimpse of bears too. Those at the Skydive Ranch spent their time learning the techniques and drills necessary for a 3500ft static line parachute jump. At the end of the 5 days, we were all back at Trails End comparing stories over a few beers in the bar, before embarking on another 3 days of activities. I chose horse riding followed by parachuting and had a fantastic experience with each package.

At the end of the training, we had a final debrief and made our way to Banff, a beautiful ski town with breathtaking scenery amidst the Rockies. We booked into a Youth Hostel and went into town straight away as we only had one day to explore before flying home. There was just enough time to get some last minute shopping in, a trip in the Gondolas (cable cars up the mountains) and a final meal for all of us before heading back to Calgary Airport the next day.

Coming home, we all felt incredibly lucky to have been given such a fantastic opportunity. People told me it would be a once in a lifetime experience but it exceeded my expectations without a doubt.

WOCdt Zoe Greenhalf

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